Northern Notes – May 2019

More
than One Kind of Bear

By Susan Sommer

There is more than one kind of bear at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
in Portage! Meet “Forage,” painted by artist Dawn Gerety of nearby Girdwood. My
dad and I posed with it on a recent road trip.

Here’s what Gerety says on her website, about the piece: “This is my painted bear for Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in support of the 24th International Conference on Bear Research & Management held in Anchorage during the summer of 2016. Bear forms decorated by local artists were displayed in downtown Anchorage at local businesses. My bear design was inspired by the food items found in a brown bear’s diet including razor clams, salmon, berries and more. You can visit ‘Forage’ year-round at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.” And look for other painted bears around the Anchorage area—you might be surprised where you see them.